THE COST OF SILVICULTURE 



All of these, while directly affecting the production of tree 

 crops, usually are studied as units by themselves and will 

 here be given only brief consideration. 



3 10 

 50 54 60 years 



Preceding -> < — 

 Rotation 



Present Rotation 



60 years 



3 10 20 30 years 



■ -* — Succeeding Rotation 



Fig. I. 



An illustration based on eastern white pine managed on a 6o year rotation 

 under shelterwood to show the relation between the period of regeneration and 

 the period of intermediate cuttings. 



The Cost of Silviculture. — The production of tree crops, 

 in common with other commercial enterprises, involves the 

 assumption of certain investments and expenditures. Com- 

 pared with the business of harvesting standing forest products 

 {i.e., logging), the costs will be greater for silviculture, since 

 the former simply conducts the first stages of utilization or 

 manufacture of any existing crop of trees and does not have 

 as its function the growing of succeeding crops. 



A common way of expressing the costs of silviculture is to 

 compare them with the costs of the business of logging, thus 

 indicating the extra expenditures and investments required. 



The question of whether silviculture is " impracticable " 

 (a term too often loosely employed in this connection) does 



